


New Person, Same Old Mistakes

by hailtz



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Anxiety, Blood and Gore, Depression, Everyone Has Issues, F/F, and probs a lot of emotion, there will be angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2018-09-20 19:31:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9509144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hailtz/pseuds/hailtz
Summary: The ghost that sat on the end of her bed for almost a year of her childhood isn't the only thing that haunts Erin Gilbert.Could her past jeopardise her career for the second time?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So I've been lurking about for a while now, in total awe of all the killer work coming out of the fandom and I thought I'd give it a lil shot too after being inspired by what I've read.  
> I've not written anything in a looong time, so I apologise if this is a bit all over the place and if my writing style is pretty whack. I can't guarantee how frequently I'll be able to post new chapters as things are getting hella intense at college, but I'm hoping to update as much as I can.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

The sun rose on the brink of 6am, basking the world outside in a soft golden glow. Out on the streets, the morning commute began for many as New York City awoke to face another day. Early morning workers bustled through the concrete jungle, briefcases and take away coffee cups in hand as the steadily growing array of cars trudged amongst the traffic. As the hum of the living filled the air and rays of sunlight shone through an ajar window, the sound of construction on the apartment complex across the street coaxed Dr. Erin Gilbert from her sleep.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she quickly realised that she was not in her own apartment. Specs of dust danced within the sections of light that stretched above her and the smell of coffee entwined with that of burnt metal filled the air - a combination that many would be repelled by, but to Erin it was the familiar scent of the firehouse and more particularly, Holtzmann’s lab.

When the physicist attempted to rise from her position on the slightly singed couch which sat on the far side of the room (a recent addition to the space that the other members of the team _insisted_ Holtzmann invested in after they found her during the later hours sprawled across dangerous equipment unconscious on _far too many_ occasions), she noticed a dull throbbing pain in the centre of her forehead. Whilst she struggled to remember the events of the night before, the sound of the door suddenly swinging open - and crashing into a pile of discarded metal that lay haphazardly on the floor - caused her to whip her head around just a little too quick, sending a bolt of pain from her shoulder and intensifying the already formed headache.

“Ah, shi-- Holtzmann! What are you doing!? You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Goooood morning to you too, lil Miss Sunshine!” the blonde sang, far too enthusiastically considering how early in the day it was and proceeded to saunter into the centre of the room with a grin plastered on her face.“Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Or couch, for that matter?” she teased, earning a small grunt from the physicist who was now attempting to roll the crick out of her neck.

 _Note: Never fall asleep on that couch again_ , she thought to herself.  
  
The engineer bounced towards her coworker, a mug of fresh coffee one hand and two aspirin in the other.

“I brought these for you. Thought you might need ‘em with the day that you have ahead.” Holtz presented the steaming mug and painkillers with outstretched arms, which Erin immediately accepted with a puzzled look upon her face.  
  
“What do you mean?” Erin asked before tossing back the aspirin, grimacing as she forced herself to swallow them. Even after years of taking anti-anxiety medication, she could never get used to the feeling of taking pills of any kind, forcing herself not to gag as they slid to the back of her throat.  
  
The blonde reached up to the glasses that sat upon her forehead and re-positioned them so they sat just on the tip of her nose, then reached up to the pencil which was previously placed behind her ear, motioning to an imaginary diary, “Well Miss Gilbert, you got a busy schedule ahead of you.” she declared in a somewhat elegant British accent, “You've got breakfast in an hour with the oh-so wonderful Ghostbusters, a gig I had to work very hard to land for you...” Erin rolled her eyes, a small laugh escaping her lips as she observed Holtzmann’s PA act, occasionally sipping on her coffee, “Then a meeting with the Mayor at noon and, last but not least, a date with yours truly at 3:15.” Holtzmann concluded with a wink, revelling in the response she knew this created within Erin. 

  
“W-we’re not dating, Holtz.”, she stuttered out, choking on a mouthful of coffee, a tinge of redness now creeping up her face.  
  
“A’iiiight. Still working on that one...”  
  
Erin rolled her eyes again, lacking the energy to protest any further. Holtzmann pushed her glasses back up her nose before spinning on her heels and striding over to her workbench.  
  
“But for reals,” she began, picking up a soldering gun, “I’ve got some new gear for you to test later. Also made some improvements to some others that I think you’ll be pretty pleased with.” Erin nodded her head in agreement before looking down to grab her cellphone that lay on the floor beside the couch, instead realising that the green sweatpants and oversized Star Wars t-shirt she was wearing certainly did not belong to her.  
  
“Um Holtz…?”

“Yes, E-G?”

“What… What actually happened last night?”

“Huh?” the blonde peered over her yellow tinted lenses and carefully put down the soldering gun, making sure not to place it beside any flammable materials this time. "Oh! Last night! Yeah, you were a right hoot.”, the blonde let out a low chuckle before continuing, “Got a lil too merry during the post-bust celebrations we had here, puked before we even got to go to the bar down the road.” Erin grimaced, beginning to regret asking for the details. “So I stayed here with you, got ya cleaned up and then you KO’d on the couch just before midnight. Never saw you as such a lightweight, Gilbert!”

Erin groaned as hazy memories of too much whiskey, dancing on top of her desk to terrible pop music and being hunched over the toilet began to flicker in her mind. How had she let herself get so drunk?

“Oh God.. Yup, I remember now. I’m _so_ sorry you had to witness that, Holtz.”

“Ah, nothing to apologise for, sweet cheeks. I’ve dealt with my fair share of those who party a lil bit too hard at my old job at the bar. Guess some of us just can’t hold our liquor, huh?”

Erin was ready to object but it was true. She was never good at handling her drink, even throughout college she ended most parties curled up in the bathroom - that was if she ever got invited to them in the first place. She blamed it on her insecurities. Alcohol made her feel much more confident, invincible almost. She could talk to anyone after a couple of drinks and forgot about anything that was on her mind: deadlines, her parents disapproval, the guilt of leaving Abby and the creeping uncertainty of what her future may entail. So she drank more to feel more free, to live in the moment without dwelling over the past, until it all came back up and she was left feeling empty again.

The redhead rubbed her eyes, “I’m gonna go clean myself up…” she declared, wobbling as she stood, the room beginning to spin slightly signalling the full effects of her hangover coming into play.

“Alrighty. Oh! Patty and Abs should be back soon with breakfast. I think they went to that new crazy restaurant downtown that everyone is talking about. I heard they've got a burger that’s made out of a freakin’ donut!” Holtzmann enthused. The physicist responded with a soft hum of agreement, although food was the last thing on her mind as she felt her stomach turning as it attempted to digest the contents of the previous night.

Before passing through the doorway and making her way to the firehouse onsite washroom, she turned back to the engineer who was now tinkering with what looked like the outer case of a taser.

“Thanks again, Holtz.”, she offered the blonde a sincere smile.

“No problemo.”, Holtzmann beamed back at her with a wide grin, all dimples and wild hair.

Erin couldn’t help but notice the small twinge in her core as she stood transfixed for a moment. There was something about the way the blonde looked at her like she was the most important person in the room that made her palms sweat and her breath a little bit harder to get a grasp of.

The buzz of her cellphone in her hand broke her out of her trance and she looked down at the screen, her heart skipping a beat as she read the caller ID:

 

“ **Columbia University** ”

 

Erin quickly pressed the decline button to no avail, the buzzing returning once again moments after.

“I think you'd better take that.”

“Huh?”

Holtzmann gestured with her free hand towards Erin’s phone, “The call. Must be important.”

“Oh, it’s- it’s nothing. Just a nuisance caller.” she lied, squeezing down hard on the power button of her phone, the rhythmic vibration ceasing after a few moments. “I-I’ll see you at breakfast.”

And with that Erin Gilbert rushed out of the room, leaving Holtzmann looking into the now empty doorway she once occupied, a small frown creasing her brow before she shrugged, turning back to her equipment and focusing her attention once more to her work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the feedback on part one - it's great to hear what you guys think and I appreciate it a lot! I really wanted to get this chapter up sooner but the past couple of days have been so hectic, I haven't had the chance to and I feel this is more just a set up for future chapters anyway.  
> Just a heads up, I've got a lot happening this month so updates may be infrequent, however I plan to get the next part up ASAP and I really hope you enjoy what's to come!

The sensation of cold water hitting skin served only as a distraction to Erin, if she could just focus on anything other than the prospect of going back to Columbia perhaps it would just fade away. Sitting beneath the steady stream, Erin Gilbert began to wonder how one phone call could send her into a tailspin. She hadn’t even met with the Dean yet to discuss the possibility of her returning and yet here she was, mind reeling with the “what ifs”, the “what could have been” and to make things worse, she was incredibly hungover too. It suddenly clicked in her mind: _that's_ why she got so drunk last night. To forget.

 

* * *

 

She got the first call from Columbia a day prior, early in the evening, just after the team had returned from their latest bust, all content with how smoothly the job went. Granted, it was only a couple of T3s causing mild disturbance in the local library, nothing they couldn’t handle, but nonetheless every successful job - especially with no casualties or significant damage to public property - was worth celebrating. Besides, Erin managed to end the operation without a single speck of ectoplasm getting on her and that definitely deserved a beer or two in it’s own right.

Whilst Abby and Patty prepared their small celebrations upstairs, Erin and Holtzmann remained in the garage unloading some of the gear that the engineer wanted to work on from Ecto-1 (well, _technically_ it was Ecto-4, but they were starting to lose track and Patty’s uncle was refusing to let them near any more of his hearses...). As the two women prepared to take the equipment upstairs, Holtzmann was of course finding it incredibly comical to witness Erin struggling to carry a ghost trap and two of the proton packs simultaneously.

 

“Are you just gonna stand there and laugh at me, or are you going to help me with one of these?” Erin sulked whilst Holtzmann stood doubled over, supporting herself against the side of the vehicle as she struggled to contain herself. 

 

“Hold on.. Hold on, I gotta get a picture of this!”, the other woman snorted, standing straight and pointing the camera of her smartphone straight at Erin, whose face was now beginning to redden under the strain of the weight. " _I_ _ _f only Kevin was around to help._ " _she thought, but instead he was at another Hide-and-Seek tournament, his team playing for a place in the quarterfinals - a performance which Holtzmann was admittedly disappointed she couldn’t attend.

 

“Holtz… Holtz! Please!! C’mon, my arm is literally ready to fall off here!”

 

With that the blonde composed herself, wiping tears from below her eyes before taking one of the packs from Erin’s grip, “Is it _literally_ gonna fall off?” she mocked the other woman's choice of words, “Cause that could be a real serious medical emergency and I'm pretty sure Abby would not be pleased if I used her sewing kit to do a DIY repair job on you.”

 

“You are not getting anywhere near me with a needle and thread.”, Erin cautioned.

 

“Hey, I’ve performed many operations in my time!!”. Holtzmann hit back. This received a questionable look from the redhead, “..On my stuffed animals… When I was 7 years old.. I used the safety scissors and the glue from my arts and crafts set to execute the first cross-species tail transplant, I’ll have you know.”

 

Erin looked towards Holtzmann with an expression that crossed the line between distaste and concern, “Patty was right. You really are Dr. Frankenstein.”

 

“IT’S ALIIIIIVEEE!!” Holtz suddenly wailed, simultaneously raising the 12lbs proton pack above her head before freezing in an overly dramatic pose, somewhat resembling Atlas. Letting out a snort, it was then Erin heard the familiar jingle of her ringtone coming from behind her, albeit muffled and distant. Using her free hand to pat down the pockets of her overalls, Erin realised they were empty and that the sound was coming from the Ecto-1.

 

“Ah, shoot! I must have left my phone in the back seat of the hearse. I’ll be back in a second!”

 

“No problemo, I'll get you upstairs! Just leave your pack by my desk and try to avoid any more heavy lifting in the meantime, huh? We can’t have you popping a vein on that pretty lil head of yours.” Holtz quipped before prancing up the stairs to the Firehouse.

 

“Very funny, Holtz!” Erin shouted after her, before carefully placing down the proton pack and trap she was previously holding and making her way back to the hearse, quickly retrieving her phone before it rang out. She fumbled with the device, aggressively swiping the answer key without acknowledging the caller ID until she heard an all too familiar voice on the other end.

 

“Ah, Dr. Gilbert. This is --”

 

“Dr. Harold Fillmore.” she spat out, unaware of the words escaping her lips until she heard them herself.

 

“Yes… I'm calling to let you know that we here at Columbia have reconsidered your affiliation with the institute. If you could come to my office, perhaps we could discuss the possibility of you returning next semester.”

 

Silence on the other end.

 

“Dr. Gilbert…?”

 

A wave of nausea flooded across the physicist. She could never have anticipated Columbia ever wanting contact her again after she was fired shortly after the events at the Aldridge Mansion, never mind the possibility that she could return to her teaching position, however her irrefutable need for validation nagged at the back of her brain. She could prove them wrong, show them what the Ghostbusters were really doing. Show them what real science looks like and finally get the chance to share their work within the academic world. Erin thought of the possibility of inspiring young students, perhaps even influencing them to pursue the study of the paranormal, she could become the figure she wished for when she was younger - but she couldn't leave the others, could she? She couldn't betray Abby, not again. She couldn't. Wouldn't happen. Never.

 

“C-can I get back to you? About the position. I.. I need time to think about it - about _this_.", the words tumbled out of her mouth, "I'll get back to you.”

 

“Alright.” she could hear the older man sighing through the speaker, “I'll be eagerly awaiting your call.”

 

And with that, the line went dead and Erin was left struggling for air and staring at her phone for a little too long.

 

“Ready to part-ay, pretty lady?”, Holtzmann questioned, suddenly appearing of the side of the doorway, two beers in hand and a sly smirk on her face.

 

“Hm?”, the physicist breathed out, praying the engineer hadn't overheard her conversation with Fillmore.

 

The smirk fell from Holtzmann’s mouth, her tone lowering as she noticed the flushed cheeks of her coworker and was her hands shaking…?

 

“You alright, Er?”, she cautioned.

 

“Yeah, of course. I’m fine. Just trying to get a hold of all this equipment - it’s just so heavy, y’know?”, Erin proclaimed, quickly pocketing her phone and lightly dragging her palms down the front of her overalls in attempt to remove the sweat from her now clammy hands, “I'll be up in a second once I grab this stuff.” she reassured.

 

Holtzmann pressed no further, much to Erin’s relief, “Alllrighty. I’ll make sure this beer is ready and waiting for you upstairs.”, the blonde offered a warm smile before continuing, “Hey, you better be quick though, I think Patty wants to show us some drinking game she used play in college. I gotta feelin’ it’s gonna be crazy.”

 

“Sounds great,” Erin affirmed, waiting for the engineer to return to the celebrations upstairs before she reached down to pick up the pack and trap, hesitating before making her way up the stairs. Her mind was reeling, she had to tell the others about Columbia but she just couldn’t bring herself to, not yet. She could already envision their response, and it certainly wasn’t going to be pleasant, therefore she had to delay telling them, at least for the time being. Besides, tonight wasn’t about her, it was about the bust and it was about them - the Ghostbusters - doing what they do best and what they’ve done together for the past year. Although Erin was quickly becoming apprehensive about their future as a team, she didn’t want to face the future just yet, so she pushed the thoughts of Columbia to the back of her mind and made her way into the kitchen where the other three woman eagerly waited for her with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces.

"There she is!", Abby exclaimed, motioning to the empty stool beside her, "Holtz was just showing us your impression of the Hulk downstairs."

"Damn, Erin. I dunno if it's just the lighting in the photograph but man, I've never seen someone's face so red!", Patty chuckled.

"No, Patty, that was all real. She looked like she was doing a stellar impression of a tomato.", Holtzmann added with a snigger, sliding Erin's beer over to the physicist as she took her place at the table.

"Is this like pick on Erin night?", Erin asked before taking a large gulp from her glass.

"Nah, we love you really.", the engineer stated, slinging one arm around Erin's shoulder, "..Even if you are part tomato."

"That's right, we got your back.", Patty concurred.

"I wanna make a toast, to the Ghostbusters!", Abby declared, raising her glass towards the centre of the table.

"The Ghostbusters!"

And with that, they all took a drink, Erin perhaps more than the others, placing her now empty glass on the table and quickly cracking open another beer.

This was it. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach. 

 

_The calm before the storm._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since the last update, life has been hella hectic recently and it still is so I still can't promise regular updates - sorry! But to hopefully make up for it, this is a slightly longer chapter.  
> Also, I wasn't really happy with the how the story was going, so I've decided to dial it back a little bit for now to focus more on the development of the characters and with that plot will naturally progress.  
> As always, lemme know what you think! What you like, what ya don't like, your thoughts - anything! I appreciate the feedback.

A guitar riff reverberated around the upper floor of the Firehouse, drowning out the sound of drilling as Holtzmann danced behind her workbench, nodding her head along to the beat with a metal frame in one hand and a power drill in the other. As the eccentric engineer enthusiastically lip synced along to “ _All Day And All Of The Night_ ” by the Kinks, she suddenly dropped the equipment in her hands to the table and threw her arms in the air as the guitar solo began, bouncing around on the spot as she lost herself in the music. Working with her boombox on was a common occurrence, the sound of her favourite songs encouraged her to lose herself in her work, as she found working in silence served no other purpose than to remind her of the distractions available and how slowly time passed. Having music on however, lead her to focus only on the tasks at hand until they were complete, or until she found herself falling asleep at her workbench - another common occurrence. The other members of the team didn’t quite agree with Holtzmann’s working habits, sharing a floor with Erin meant the engineer had to keep the volume down a lot lower than she’d like, as the physicist preferred to work quietly. Erin had even gone to the extent of buying Holtzmann wireless headphones for Christmas, a gift Holtzmann appreciated a lot more than she cared to admit and even though the redhead claimed they were more for her own benefit than Holtz’s, the engineer still held the sentiment dearly, taking special note to wear the headphones when the two of them are working within their shared space. For now though, Erin was showering and Holtzmann could listen to her music the way it should be: loud and obnoxious.

As the song faded out _,_ Holtzmann took time to catch her breath and reach for the equations she needed to make the final tweaks to her latest project. Where her hand should have met a notebook containing her notes, it met nothing. _I’m absolutely 100% sure I left them here… Or at least within a 30ft radius of this table_ , Holtzmann thought to herself as she peered above the frames of her safety goggles and scanned the room. She was certain that Erin had reworked and returned the equations the engineer asked to be looked over two days prior, but exactly where Holtzmann had put them was a mystery waiting to be solved _._ She really had to start paying more attention to her surroundings but then again, she liked to think of her displacements as a nice surprise for her future self when she rediscovers things she’d long since forgotten about. However, in this instance the engineer really needed the equations to round off the last couple of tweaks to her project which she was hoping Erin could try for the first time later this afternoon. Rummaging through piles of blueprints and tools in search for the equations, Holtzmann’s mind was drawn to thoughts of the physicist who was definitely acting somewhat out of character recently. Granted, she was hungover today which could excuse how unfocused Erin seemed this morning but that didn’t explain how abstracted she seemed to be ever since yesterday's bust. Holtz compiled a mental list of the other woman’s odd behaviour out of curiosity as she continued to search the room for the notepad,

 

  1. Increasingly distracted - ex. Forgot phone in hearse, lingering in the garage when bringing proton packs up (Which Holtzmann had in fact noticed, unwilling to admit that she did watch the older woman from the doorway for a few seconds before drawing attention to herself.)
  2. Trembling hands - another thing the blonde certainly noticed in the garage
  3. Passive when questioned



 

_Wait. Is Erin possessed?,_ Holtzmann asked herself, heart skipping a beat over the possibility, _No, she can’t be. The T3 apparitions in the library were far too weak to be capable of a full body possession,_ she rationalised. Unless something happened when the team split up at the beginning of the bust?

The sound of Abby and Patty hollering downstairs, signifying their arrival with the team's breakfast snapped Holtzmann out of her thoughts. Now completely occupied on the promise of food, the blonde launched herself onto the fireman’s pole and slid down to the ground floor, leaving behind the lost equations and her concerns for Erin.

 

* * *

 

Emerging from the bathroom, Erin pulled her MIT sweater over her head, thankful she kept a spare set of clothing in her locker. Bringing a towel to her still wet hair, the physicist made a point of reminding herself to bring a hairdryer over to the Firehouse as soon as possible, especially considering how much she uses the on-site showers due to the probability of her getting slimed during a bust. The shower certainly helped her hangover, she didn’t feel as lightheaded now, but it also gave her the opportunity to reflect on going to Columbia. Her mind still battled with the idea of returning to the institution, she couldn’t resist the temptation that came with it or the creeping desire to validate her work at the Ghostbusters within the academic world, it was just the thought of telling the others that made her heart race. She couldn’t help conjuring what their responses could be and more so how hurt they would be. Abby would definitely take it the worst, besides, it would be like she was abandoning her again, wouldn’t it?

The smell of food suddenly engulfed her senses, drawing her out of the internal panic she was quickly stumbling into and signalling that Abby and Patty must be back with breakfast. As the physicist descended down the stairs and to where the other three women had gathered, she made a conscious effort to not appear so flustered, straightening her sweater before joining them.

“Good morning, Erin.”, Abby addressed the physicist with a smile as she slid into her seat, “...Or should I say, good morning, _Beyoncé_.”

Erin rolled her eyes, grabbing her breakfast from the takeout bag and shooting a look at Abby, “Can we all just pretend that didn’t happen so I can enjoy my bagel in peace, please? This headache is a pleasant enough reminder of last night…”

“Alright..” Patty began, “... But it’ll always be up here.” she smirked, tapping her head.

“And here.” Holtzmann added, holding her phone up, video footage playing of Erin dancing to _Single Ladies_ on top of the very table they were eating from. 

“ _You didn’t_.”

“You bet I did.” the engineer winked at Erin who was now cradling her head in her hands.

“Delete itttt.” she groaned, the blonde offering no sympathy, instead a somewhat smug smile on her face, “Please, Holtz. You've got a habit of uploading to YouTube and I’ve got a bad track record with unprofessional and embarrassing videos of myself being posted online.”

“Hey!!” Abby interjected, “The Aldridge Mansion video was not embarrassing! We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that!”

“Okay, fine. That’s true.” Erin sighed, taking a bite of her bagel before throwing the Holtzmann a look of defeat in hopes it would make her feel guilty.

The blonde threw her hands up, “Alright. Alriiiight. I’ll _consider_ deleting it.”, this made Erin’s look change from defeat to a glare, “...Maybe I want it for my personal collection?”

The redhead groaned, “I hate you.”

“Love you too.”

“You two seriously gotta get a room.” Patty intervened, causing Holtzmann to grin with a mouthful of fries, Erin shaking her head, ready to protest until Patty thankfully changed the subject, “Anyway, what’s up with the Mayor, Abs? We gotta go to this meeting?”

“Yeah, I got a message from Lynch at like 5am,” Abby spoke between sips of coffee, “Never really said what it was about, just that the Mayor wants to see us all and they’re gonna send a car for us at 12.”

Erin frowned, “Do you think it’s serious? I mean, we’re not really due another discussion about our finances or anything for another couple of weeks....”

“I don’t know, she didn’t give anything away. I’m sure it’s nothing, probably just another warning about keeping it lowkey.”

“We did cause a lot of damage in that library. Proton streams and books ain’t a good match.” Patty shook her head, the other three women were somewhat surprised by her show of concern, “What? Y’all science kids don’t appreciate the value of books like some of us do. What if we wrecked that much stuff in one of your labs or something?”

“Holtz would definitely cry.” Abby joked.

“Nobody touches my babies.” the blonde affirmed, popping the last of her fries in her mouth before hopping out of her chair, “Speaking of which, I gots stuff to finish upstairs. Thank you very much for the wonderful breakfast, ladies. Always a pleasure to be in your company and no, I will not split the bill.”

“I already covered your freeloading ass!”

“Muchas gracias, Patty-cakes.” Holtzmann turned from the foot of the stairs to blow a kiss at the historian, Patty flipping her off in return.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Erin stood and made her way to the coffee machine, preparing her second cup of the day, “I should probably get to work too.” she declared, rubbing her forehead, silently wishing her headache would just fade already, “I’ll grab my share for the food first, though. My wallet is upstairs.”

“It’s alright, call it my treat.” Abby smiled at her, “Happy hangover?”

The physicist laughed, thankful for her friends ever present generosity - how could she seriously be considering leaving her for Columbia again?

“Thanks, Abs. I owe you one.”

And with that, Erin made her way up to the lab, placing her coffee mug on her desk and stepping over to her whiteboard, ready to distract herself with equations for her latest theory. As Erin began writing, the music coming from Holtzmann’s boombox suddenly ceased, causing Erin to turn towards her end of the room.

“Don’t worry, Gilbert. I’m just gonna put my headphones on. Besides, looks like you’ve got a lot goin’ on there,” she pointed to the whiteboard behind the physicist that was covered in equations and colour coded notation, “Don’t wanna distract that incredible brain of yours.”

The physicist smiled appreciating her coworker’s consideration, “Thanks, Holtz... What exactly are you working on, by the way?”

“Oh, you’ll see later. I wanna keep it under wraps until you try it this afternoon so it’s kinda like a surprise, more fun that way.” the blonde waggled her eyebrows, “By the way! Remember those equations I gave you the other day…?”

“Yes?”

“... Any chance you know where they are? I maybe-totally-one hundred percent misplaced them.” the engineer blurted out.

“Yeah. You put them in your mini-fridge for ‘safe keeping’ because ‘that’s where all the important stuff goes’.” Erin echoed the words of younger woman, making air-quotes with her hands.

“Ah, so I did!” Holtzmann rushed over to the mini-fridge that sat underneath the spot where all of her equipment hung from the walls, “See, I knew they were in this place somewhere-- OH!!” the blonde suddenly exclaimed, causing Erin to jump, “I totally forgot about this tub of ice cream! Past-Holtzy is a _genius_.”

Holtzmann skipped back to her workbench, content that she had not only retrieved the equations needed to finalise her project but also an unexpected helping of Ben & Jerry’s. Erin chuckled to herself as she watched Holtzmann proudly crack open the ice cream, leaving no pause before digging in. Turning back to her whiteboard, a few moments passed before the sound of Holtzmann shuffling around came to Erin’s attention.

“Oh, I’m being totally rude,” Holtzmann made her way over to the physicist, “D’you want a bit Erin?”

Erin turned, only to be met with the tub of ice cream placed directly below her nose, with Holtzmann centimeters from her face. The older woman shuffled on the spot, trying to open up the space between the two of them.

“I-I’m alright.”, she breathed out, unaware that she was even holding her breath in the first place, “Thank you.”

Making direct eye contact with Erin, the blonde licked a gracious spoonful of ice cream in a somewhat seductive manner, which Erin would be quick to contradict if it weren’t for the warm blush that was beginning to creep on her cheeks.

“You’re loss.” Holtzmann declared, throwing in a wink for good measure before bouncing back over to her own workbench.

Erin stood for a moment, unable to process what had just happened before her. If she weren’t so flustered and lost for words, she would have addressed it but instead she just shook her head as if to stop her thoughts from racing and wiped her hands on her sweater before going back to her equations in attempt to distract her mind.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take too long for Erin to become engrossed in her work, managing to develop the basis of her theory as the hours passed. The sound of Abby hollering from the foot of the stairs is what brought Erin’s attention back to focus.

“Holtzmann! Gilbert! C’mon you guys! Mayor’s office! The car is waiting for us outside!”

Erin glanced down at her watch - it was 12PM already. Turning to make her way to the stairs, she noticed Holtzmann still had her headphones on, presumably unable to hear anything other than the music that they played. Erin attempted to alert the engineer from afar as got ready to leave, waving her arms in attempt to catch her attention. When she realised this wasn’t going to work, Erin walked over to Holtzmann who was swaying to whatever beat she was listening to with her back to the redhead. When Erin lightly tapped her shoulder, Holtzmann spun on the spot and instead of removing her headphones, continued to dance whilst maintaining eye contact with Erin.

“Holtz, now isn’t the time.” Erin warned, her arms crossed in front of her chest as the other woman swayed back and forth, still unable to hear anything but her music.

Erin rolled her eyes before grabbing the engineer by the shoulders and removing the headphones herself, “ _Holtzmann! The car is outside!_ ”, Erin proclaimed, her tone somewhat more assertive than she'd anticipated.

“Whaaaat?”, Holtz sarcastically replied, deliberately drawing out the word, “You should’ve just said.”

Erin simply sighed, now lacking the energy to protest, instead turning to the door to leave and not making it to the doorway before Holtzmann rushed past her in a flash of blonde hair and blue overalls.

“ _I call shotgun!!”_ "


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still here! Still slowly making progress on this fic!  
> Just a P.S.A, this chapter contains some lovely science-y and technical stuff which I am sure is 100% wrong (I'm just a humble and uneducated artist), so I apologise in advance for that... But this chapter is longer, so maybe that makes up for it...? Probably not.  
> (There's mentions of blood/injury in this chapter, so take caution if you're uncomfortable with that sort of thing.)  
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

The four women took their seats before the Mayor’s desk with Holtzmann instinctively raising her legs to put her feet up on the surface before her; instead, the blonde earned a silent warning from Jennifer Lynch in the form of a steely glare and a pointed finger. Placing her feet back on the ground in defeat, she looked up at the assistant with a pouted lip, somewhat resembling a puppy who’d just been told off for peeing on the carpet. Erin, witnessing the entire exchange between the two women, nudged Holtz gently as the Mayor entered the room.

“Good afternoon ladies.”, the Mayor began, offering a brief and insincere smile to the Ghostbusters, “As you all know, our arrangement stands under the terms that you go about your business _quietly_ and we cover your funding, no questions asked--”

Abby was quick on the defence. It was instinctive, considering their previous experiences they had in this very room; with claims of attention seeking and hoaxes still fresh in the air from when they were trying to warn the Mayor about Rowan’s plan to open the vortex. Every time they were called into this office, she was expecting to be faced with news that they had somehow unknowingly broken the non-existent contract in place, losing all of their funding and therefore leading to yet another door closing on their work.

“Is this about the cat? Cause the bag is gone, and so is the cat, and--”

“No.” The older man cut her off and rubbed his temples, already beginning to feel the strain of the conversation before it had even properly begun, “We have a situation and it requires your… _expertise_.”

All four women raised their eyebrows simultaneously, Patty crossing her arms over her chest with an amused smirk, “Hold on, _you’re_ coming to _us_? Holtzy, get the popcorn, this gotta be good!”

The sound of loud crunching coming from the engineer’s seat drew the attention of everyone in the room. Holtzmann, who was now cradling a tube of Pringles in one arm and stuffing a handful of chips into her mouth, looked between them all with a blank face,

“...What?”

“Are you serious? I was only joking about the popcorn! How do you even do that?”

“It’s these salty parabolas, man, they’re irresistable I’m telling you.”

The Mayor audibly cleared his throat, crossing his arms, it was clear his patience was beginning to wear thin. With the other women sobering, Abby sat up straight, “We’re listening.”

“There has been reports of an entity causing trouble and attacking innocent civilians down by a derelict factory. The building is in the process of being cleared for demolition, however it seems that this ghost isn’t too happy with that and has been causing trouble with the contractors on site. We already have an individual being treated for serious injuries after a recent altercation...”

“So what you’re saying is, you want us to evict this _spectral squatter_?” Holtzmann enquired through a mouthful of chips, spitting crumbs on the floor much to the Jennifer Lynch’s reproach.

The mayor raised an eyebrow over the blonde’s choice of words and inappropriate behaviour, “Precisely. This is why we fund you.. However, as this concerns the safety of the public and more than just private property, this is also government matter.”

“Alright. We’ll help, but we do this our way.”, Abby stated, her voice firm. “Like you said, this is what we do and we have established our way of working, so we do this by our rules.”

“Agreed. Miss Lynch will provide you with the details that we have acquired. We’ll leave the rest up to you. Again, keep this under wraps. Get that cat back into the bag and keep it there. We do not want another Times Square cover up on our hands.”

Erin looked between her colleagues and the Mayor before speaking up, “I mean, I think a lot of people are aware of what happened--”

The Mayor slammed his fist onto the desk, causing all four women to jump in their seats, “The damn cat is staying in the bag!!”

“Me- _owww_ …”, Holtzmann quipped, popping a final chip in her mouth, earning a snort from the physicist by her side.

The older man raised a hand to his head, once more rubbing his temple, “Ms. Lynch, please escort these women out...”, the assistant did as she was told, prompting the team out through the door whilst the Mayor paced around the office, pausing beside the chair that Holtzmann previously occupied,  “... _and can someone please vacuum this mess up!!_ ”

 

* * *

 

Back in the Firehouse, the women quickly got to work; Patty immediately searching archives for the history of the factory, Holtzmann making sure the proton packs were loaded into Ecto-1 and ready to go, with a little help with the heavy lifting in the form of Kevin, whilst Abby and Erin read through the files provided by the Mayor’s office together, formulating a plan of operation. The two women worked well together, as they always had done ever since they became friends, never failing to effectively collaborate. They just seemed to be on the same wavelength, complementing each other's ideas and forming an agreed strategy within minutes. Erin questioned why they ever let themselves fall into disagreement over their book and how they could spend so long on bad terms when they worked so well together. Looking back, the argument seemed silly now and she resented the time they spent apart, but with the prospect of going back to Columbia still looming at the back of her mind, Erin couldn’t help but feel like she was once again gambling their friendship with her academic reputation....

Holtz returned from the garage with Kevin right behind her, the two enthusiastically discussing the properties of the perfect ice cream sundae, signalling the hearse was good to go. With everyone present, Abby began briefing the team on the plan of action.

“Okay ladies, according to these reports from the Mayor’s office there is a corporeal entity on site that is definitely malevolent and capable of physical contact, so it looks like we’re dealing with a Class 4 at the least. I say we split up. The building is pretty big, so we’ll cover more ground this way.”

“There’s 5 storeys, so we can take one floor each?”, Erin suggested.

“Aw man, I hate when we split up! I always end up walking into some spook-fest that I wish I never laid my eyes on.” Patty grumbled as she made her way over to the other three women, laptop in hand, “This is what I managed to dish up on the factory...” she began, turning the device to face Abby and Erin,, “..It was built towards the end of the 19th century, originally as a garment factory, contributing a lot towards producing uniforms throughout the Second World War and then lay empty for a while during the fiscal crisis. It was converted to a printing factory back in the 80s before it closed up around 5 years ago. Looks like they’re tearing it down to build new apartments”

“Great work, Patty, you really pulled it out the bag with this research… So no outstanding incidents that could explain why it’s haunted?” Abby enquired as she skimmed over the information on the screen before her.

“Nah, not that I could find at least… Could it be another surge in the ley lines?”

“Could be…”, Erin began, sliding Patty’s laptop over to Holtzmann who was now hovering around the desk, bouncing on her heels, eager to get going, “The stability of the lines has been inconsistent ever since Rowan opened them up but there’s no way of knowing what we’re up against until we get there.”

“We better go check it out then.”

 

* * *

 

 

The factory wasn’t far from the firehouse, the journey being a 15 minute drive that Holtz managed to squeeze into a tight 9 minutes, breaking at least 5 different traffic regulations whilst she was at it. The sound of tires screeching against asphalt cut through the air like a knife as the red and white hearse cut corners and weaved through lanes of traffic, eventually coming to a sudden halt before the towering concrete skeleton of the empty factory.

“You have now reached your final destination.” Holtzmann declared from behind the wheel, voice robotic and cool, resembling that of a GPS system.

Erin swung the passenger door open, planting her feet hard on the ground outside, hands gripping the frame of the hearse as she sat stationary and stared at her feet for a few moments, willing her head to stop spinning as she focused on stopping breakfast from making a reappearance.

“It might as well be a scene out of _Final Destination_ when you’re driving! Jesus Christ, Holtz, you’re gonna get us killed one day!!” Abby yelled, stumbling out onto the sidewalk which seemed to be tilting beneath her.

“Baby, you’re like _The Stig_ jacked up on coke. It’s terrifying.” Patty grumbled.

“Yeah, how did you even get a license?”, Erin enquired between breaths.

The engineer shrugged her shoulders, straightening the front of her overalls as she slid out of the driver’s seat and made her way to the rear of the hearse, clearly unfazed from the nature of the journey, popping open the back and providing access to the equipment it held.

“Holtz. You do have a license, right…?”, Erin found herself somewhat concerned that she was even asking this.

The blonde shuffled on her feet, evading the question with a series of vague expressions, hoping the subject would just slide before quickly realising that wasn’t going to happen; finally speaking up after feeling the intense stare of her teammates, “Eh, it’s not particularly significant at this moment in time.”

Patty huffs as she swings her proton pack to her back before turning to the younger women, eyes wide and arms crossed in front of her chest, “I damn well think it is.”

Holtzmann stutters out a few abstracted utterances, providing no reassurance for her peers who were growing more and more concerned by the minute, “It’s-it’s kinda like Schrödinger's license. I have it and I don’t--”

“ _What_ _?!_ ”, all three exclaimed simultaneously.

“--But that’s besides the point, what’s really important here is the improvements I’ve made to your packs.”

Before the others had any time to question the legitimacy of Holtzmann’s driving licence further, the engineer began explaining the work she had done on the team’s equipment, reciting every improvement and addition at a pace which most would struggle to keep up with. After a brief pause to take a breath, Holtzmann reached deep into the pockets of her overalls, pulling out 4 wristbands which somewhat resembled smartwatches, each with it’s own digital display and a selection of buttons and switches. The blonde tossed them into the hands of the others before continuing, “..And these lil guys right here track P.K.E. disturbances and will alert you when any entity is within a 20ft radius, plus they’ve got build in radio transceivers for easier access when it comes to communicating with each other. Much more compact and convenient, especially compared to the old bulky walkie-talkies. Not only that but if you push that little red button on the side there, they’ll send out a signal to the rest of the team containing your exact location. Thought they’d come in handy on certain busts, such as this one, when we have to split up in larger locations.”

“Nice one, Holtz.” Abby praised, the engineer dramatically bowing and waving her hands to silence an imaginary crowd.

“Psssht, no no no, really, it's nothing.”

Erin slid the wristband on, the small screen flickering to life upon contact with her wrist.

“Thermoelectric generators? Nice touch.” Erin mused, stealing a glance at the blonde who was still beaming over the praise, “C’mon. Let’s do this before Holtz’s ego gets any bigger.”

 

* * *

 

The sound of whistling echoed through the empty building as Holtzmann made her way across the fourth floor of the factory. The vast interior lay predominantly bare. It had long since been stripped of almost all its assets, apart from some abandoned broken equipment and machinery that couldn’t be sold; allowing any sound to reverberate freely off the walls. Holtz revelled in this fact, humming and whistling away as she crossed the space, enjoying the way the sound danced throughout the air. The engineer was given the task of taking on the fourth floor as she was the only one who didn’t loathe the prospect of scaling the four flights of stairs - which were definitely structurally unstable. The team checked the ground floor together, with Erin agreeing to take the third floor, Patty the second and Abby the first. Holtzmann fiddled with the chain of her trademark Screw-U necklace as she surveyed the storey, peering around pillars and deeming the area clear or any ghosts.

The engineer gently flicked the switch on the side of her wristband, turning on her radio transceiver, “All clear up here..”, she declared into the mic as she poked her head out of one of the many gaping holes in the buildings structure, “..but the view is _spectacular!_ ”

“Now isn’t the time to be drooling over the skyline, Holtzy.”, Patty joked through the intercom, “All clear down here too.”

“Doesn’t look like there’s much down here too, guys.”, Abby added,  “What about you Erin?”

The redhead was still making her way across the latter half of the third floor which, unlike the others, was littered with obstacles such as fallen walls, warped beams and large piles of debris which she had to manoeuvre through. Poking her head around the last doorway, Erin had her proton gun firmly in her grip as her eyes scanned her surroundings, “Yeah, I think we’re all good down here.”

“Weird. This is definitely the right place...“ Abby began, a tinge of disappointment in her voice, “Everyone just double check, make sure we haven’t missed anything. Patty, there wasn’t like a hidden basement or anything, was there?”

“Nothing on the records or the buildings blueprints, no.

“Alright. Well, looks like this ghost isn’t up for making an appearance today. Might be a case of observing this place over time and waiting for something to happen... Rendezvous at the hearse.”

“Copy that.”

Just as she turned to make her way back to the stairs, a flicker of light at the corner of her view grabbed Erin’s attention. The physicist spun round on her heels to where it came from, the source being a particularly large pile of rubble which lay between two crumbling pillars. As she crossed the room to look at it properly, there seemed to be something glinting amongst the debris.

“Um guys, I think.. I think I might have found something.”

“What is it?”, Holtzmann asked, curiosity taking over.

“I don’t know.. Hold on.”

Crouching down onto her knees to inspect further, Erin found the remains of what appeared to be some sort of electronic device; no bigger than a cellphone. A bent metal frame which encased wiring and various circuits poked out of the debris, which the physicist began sifting through to free the contraption.

“It looks like some sort of mechanism… Like a P.K.E accelerator, or something.”

“Yes!!!!”, Holtzmann enthusiastically yelled down the transceiver, “I knew there was more to this than just your average haunting!”

“Wait, what’s a P.K.E. accelerator?”, Patty enquired.

“It charges the psychokinetic energy that allows ghosts to manifest. Basically attracting entities to cross into this plane and then giving them more power to wreak havoc on it.”, Holtzmann explained, briefly pausing before realising the gravity of this discovery, “Erin, is it turned on?”

The physicist flipped the device over in her hands, running her finger down it’s structure and over scattered scorch marks and cracks, “I don’t think so, it looks pretty beat up… But we should get this back to the lab. I think it might just have the answers that we’re looking for since there doesn’t seem to be much else going on around here...”

“Maybe the entity became too weak to manifest on this plane after the accelerator lost it’s power? Assuming it was a lower level apparition before the device altered its P.K. signature. I mean, without that added bit of juice, it might have become ethereal or just fizzled out.”, Abby considered.

“Yeah, maybe… I’m still working on my report on the immediate sustainability of paranormal energy on this plane and this could add an entire new layer to that thesis…”, Erin’s voice trailed off, becoming distracted by the theories and equations that were now swimming in her mind. She lightly shook her head and cleared her throat, bringing her focus back to the present, “Alright. We can figure this out back at the Firehouse, I’ll see you guys outside in a minute.”

Erin pocketed the contraption and rose to her feet, groaning as her knees protested under the weight of her proton pack before brushing the dust off the legs of her jumpsuit, ready to head back down to meet the others. As she turned on her heels, something shifted in the corner of her vision and before she had time to register the figure rushing towards her, the burning sensation of pain flooded over the physicist as her body hit the cold, hard concrete of the factory floor and the world went black momentarily.

Gasping for air and mind reeling over the unprecedented blow, Erin instinctively reached back for her proton gun and attempted to scramble onto her feet, instead a sharp pain at the base of her spine immediately halted her intentions with the room spinning violently in response to her movement. Erin pressed a trembling hand to where the crown of her skull had connected with the ground, bright spots dancing in her vision. Pulling her hand out from behind her head, the physicist was met with the sight of her own blood trickling down her palm, the spots in her vision now beginning to bleed out across her field of view at an increasing rate.

“ _Shit_.”

 

The last thing Erin Gilbert did before the world faded into darkness was press a bloodied finger into the small red button on the side of her wristband, the intermittent beeping of the distress call echoing throughout the eerily silent third floor of the factory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback would be greatly appreciated, as always x


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm still here! Still working on this roller coaster!!  
> This chapter is straight up on the drama train (I just can't stop myself) - and once again, there are mentions of blood in this chapter so please take caution if such themes are triggering to you.  
> Hope you enjoy!

Time seemed to stop when the high pitched shrill of the distress signal first pierced through the air. 

Abby and Patty, who were both crossing the ground floor of the factory together towards the Ecto-1, came to a halt and shared a brief bemused expression before coming to realise the source of the beeping was in fact their wristbands. Holtzmann, who knew exactly what that sound meant, found herself instinctively reaching for her proton gun. Initially, the rush of adrenaline that usually flooded her body in response to the prospect of capturing a ghost buzzed through her, but that sensation passed as quickly as it came when her eyes darted down to her wristband and focused on the small display which was now flashing information and coordinates intermittently.

 

**“MAYDAY: E. GILBERT - NATURE: UNKNOWN - MOVEMENT: UNDETECTED - PULSE: DETECTED.”**

 

“Erin?”, Abby’s voice was the first to come through the receiver, “What’s the situation up there?”

_No response._

“Erin??”, she tries again, this time with an in-concealable hint of concern laced in her voice which is once more met with silence on the other end; the consistent distress signal being the only sound emitting from their wristbands. The researcher mutters frustrations under her breath, finding herself becoming unsettled by the lack of response from Erin. Patty, who immediately senses this and steps forward, resting a forbearing hand on Abby’s shoulder before speaking through the intercom herself,

“Erin?? ...Holtzmann, are you there?”

The blonde in question was already well on the move by now, mind set on getting down to Erin as quickly as possible. The dull thuds of her black boots pounding hard and heavy against the concrete floor intertwined with the high pitched beeps in the grungy air, both sounds bouncing off the cold grey walls that surrounded her.

“Yeah. It’s Gilbert..”, she breathed out, “..She’s activated the distress signal. I’m on route.”

“Shit! Holtzy, we’re on our way up!!"

Glancing down at the display again for any potential updates on Erin’s condition, Holtzmann wished her legs would move faster. She didn’t quite remember the distance between herself and the stairwell being so far apart. It almost seemed like she was stuck in one of those stereotypical nightmares in which her legs were moving but she wasn’t actually getting anywhere; either that, or the factory went on forever and ever. With every high pitched tone that emitted from the wristband and the ever growing silence from Erin, Holtz’s grew more and more uneasy. She didn't expect the cautionary measure she’d so reluctantly installed to be used so soon.

 

**\---TWO WEEKS AGO---**

_“You need to be more careful, Holtzmann.”, Erin warned, hot on the heels of the engineer who was making her up the stairs to their shared lab, blueprints in one hand and an ice pack in the other._

_“As I’ve already said, Erin, safety lights are for dudes.”, Holtzmann huffed as she walked over to her workbench, placing the blueprints down before sliding up onto a stool beside the table and wincing as she pressed the ice pack to her shoulder, “And that includes sirens, signs and such variations.”_

_Erin now stood at the other side of her workbench with her arms folded tightly to her chest, it was clear to see that Holtzmann’s nonchalant attitude to this was beginning to aggravate her, “But your safety can't be compromised. Jesus Holtzmann, you can’t go two hours without setting something on fire and half of this stuff could potentially take out this whole block if it blows! I don’t understand how you can be so indifferent about all this, and quite frankly, it’s incredibly reckless.”_

_Holtz snorts and grabs a blueprint to work on, “You’re starting to sound like Gorin...”, she mutters under her breath and this only irritated Erin further, the older woman throwing her hands up in frustration with an exasperated groan._

_“Can you seriously not just have an adult discussion for two minutes??”_

_“Do I look like a dude to you, Gilbert?”, Holtzmann immediately gave back, straightfaced. Instead of answering the question, Erin looked at her with a look of bewilderment, the engineer in turn rolling her eyes before theatrically waving a hand around her own face, “Well? Do I??”_

_“What? N-no.”_

_Holtzmann paused briefly before beginning to scribble notes on her blueprints, “Exactly. Thank you.”_

_“But just look at what happened!” Erin retaliated whilst pointing at Holtzmann’s swollen and bruised shoulder, not willing to just let this go. Usually a sarcastic remark or dismissive wave of the hand by the engineer dismissed any disagreement, leaving Erin spent before going back to her own work_ , _but this time she wanted, no in fact she needed the blonde to actually listen to her, “If Patty never went back down there, she'd never have found you and God knows what could've happened! This isn’t just for you… This is our safety too, Holtz. We’re meant to be a team. A family. Remember?” Erin found her voice involuntarily wavering towards the end of her argument, her eyes coming up to meet the engineers, wide, pleading. Suddenly, Holtzmann couldn’t find her words. The passive and sarcastic comeback she’d previously had loaded on the tip of her tongue now dying out on her lips, pencil coming to a halt in her hand and dropping to the table. The argument suddenly dissolved before her and for a moment all Holtzmann could do was sit there, lost somewhere in Erin’s gaze, thinking about how much she’s grown to care about the three women, and Kevin, that she’s lucky enough to call her best friends. They were truly like a family. A family that Holtzmann thought she would never find. She would do anything for them, even break the one rule she’s followed for as long as she can remember, as long as it meant that they were safe._

_After a few moments of silence, the engineer recomposed her thoughts, picked up her pencil and found her words, “Fine. I’ll think about it.”_

_Erin was the one to roll her eyes now, Holtzmann clearing her throat before clarifying, “I mean, I’ll reconsider my previous standpoint… If that’s what you want.”_

_The physicist paused, finding herself momentarily stunned by Holtzmann actually listening to her concerns before nodding, “Good. Thank you.”_

_With the topic settled, Erin fought against the smile threatening to creep on her lips as she relished her small victory. Pivoting on her heel to leave, she stopped just beneath the door frame, turning to face Holtzmann once more,_

_“By the way, you should really take it easy for a couple of days with that shoulder.”_

_Holtzmann, not once lifting her attention from her blueprint, lazily threw a two fingered salute in Erin’s direction, “Noted, boss.”_

\-----

 

It wasn’t until Holtzmann was finalising the blueprints for the wristbands did she actually take heed of the redhead’s wariness and decide to include an emergency procedure. Now she was glad that she did because now Holtzmann couldn't ignore the uncertainty churning in the pit in her stomach as she raced towards Erin’s coordinates; bounding down the stairs to the third floor, taking the steps two at a time and leaping off the last 4, almost toppling over as her boots slammed to the ground.

After sliding around multiple corners and leaping over fallen walls, the engineer skidded to a halt before two warped metal beams that crossed over a narrow doorway. Peering through them, Holtzmann saw what she could just make out to be the silhouette of Erin’s proton gun around the next corner.

“It’s like a segment from the _Ninja Warrior_ course up here you guys, but I think I’m almost there-- ah, shoot!!”, Holtzmann recoiled as an exposed nail on the beam dug into the palm of her hand as she manoeuvred her way through.

“Are you alright, baby??”.

Looking down, the engineer found a gash stretching across her palm, blood already beginning to run down to her wrist, “Yeah Patty, I’m fine. Just a little splinter.” Holtzmann fabricated, shaking her hand vigorously in the air in attempt to distract her brain from the pain that shot through it before continuing onward.

“Please be careful, Holtzmann.”, Abby cautioned, “And remember, we don't know what’s up there.”

“I will. I just-- I just need to get to Erin.”

The blonde squeezed herself out from the beams and immediately made her way towards Erin, wild blue eyes scanning the otherwise empty space, proton gun firmly in hand with a bloodied finger hovering over the trigger in anticipation of whatever attacked Erin to appear for another encounter. Deeming the area clear, Holtzmann’s eyes came to rest on Erin; seeing her lifeless body lying amongst the rubble made Holtzmann momentarily freeze on the spot, but it wasn’t until she noticed the small pool of red beside the older woman’s head that really made her blood run cold.

“ _Shit, shit, shit, shit_.”

“Holtz, is she okay?”, Abby’s voice wavered across the intercom as the engineer rushed over to where the physicist lay.

“I’ve found her. Guys, she’s really not looking to good.”

“Oh God… Alright, we’re almost with you!”

Kneeling down beside Erin, Holtzmann quickly takes off both her own proton pack and safety glasses. She then begins to untie the bandanna that is wrapped around her wild blonde curls, taking the long stretch of colourful fabric and gently tying it around Erin’s head in attempt to stop the bleeding. Gently raising the physicist's head into her lap, Holtzmann places a trembling hand to Erin’s cheek, brushing strands of auburn hair out of the older woman’s unusually pale face, noticing the layer of sweat that covered it. It seemed that Erin acknowledged the contact, her eyes flickering for a brief moment and a small breath escaping her lips.

“Erin, can you hear me?? C’mon Gilbert, wakey wakey, you can’t be sleeping on the job!”, Holtz joked anxiously, hoping the forced attempt at humour would glaze over the severity of Erin’s condition and how concerned she really was, “If you can hear me, just say something, please.”

It was then Abby and Patty appeared, the two women coming to a halt before Erin and Holtzmann.

“Oh God, Erin!” Abby breathed out, hands coming up to cover her mouth, eyes glued on the dark pool of blood.

“We need to call 911.”, Patty stated, hands digging into the pockets of her overalls for her cellphone, “Now.”

“It’ll be faster if we drive.” Holtzmann looks up to meet their eyes, “The hospital is just a few blocks up.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Can we even move her?”

“We have to because in case you haven’t noticed, she’s bleeding pretty heavy. We can’t waste anymore time.”, desperation fills Holtzmann’s voice and for a second, Patty and Abby are sure they catch a glimpse of what seems to be tears rising in the engineer’s eyes before she turns back to face Erin.

Abby, who usually prides herself on her coherence and rationality now finds herself frozen, mind running wild with anxieties as she overlooks Holtzmann and Patty tending to her best friend. The researcher bites down hard on her bottom lip before regaining control of her composure, “Alright. Alright. We’re gonna have to do this together, and fast.”

Holtzmann nods and rolls her sleeves up, “We need to try get her pack off as smoothly as possible. I can probably lift her… “

Patty scoffs, “Uh, I don’t think you can, you’ve got a busted shoulder, remember?”

Holtzmann grumbles in response to this, “It’s not ‘busted’, I’m fine.”

“Holtzy, you had Kevin carrying everything for you for a solid week after you got hurt... “ Patty begins, “She must weigh, what, like 125lbs or something? I’ll carry her.”

Abby quickly intervenes, “I mean if you think you can Patty, I can take your pack, take that extra load off your shoulders.” The researcher then kneels down with Holtz beside Erin to help the engineer safely remove her proton pack. They each loosen the bright orange straps and gently slide them down Erin’s limp arms, freeing the physicist. Patty then hands her proton pack to Abby and reaches down, scooping one arm under the Erin’s legs and the other by her shoulders before lifting her in one swift motion.

“You got her?”

“Yeah… You’re gonna be alright, baby, I got you.”, Erin mutters an incoherence response, eyes still firmly shut and limbs heavy.

Holtzmann swings her proton pack over her shoulders, grabbing Erin’s too before she rises to her feet, “Okay, she’s really not making any sense, we need to get her to the hospital now. Abby, if you’ve got Patty’s pack and I’ll take Erin’s. ”

Turning to make their way out, the three women realise that the doorway they came in is still obstructed and that Patty was not going to be able to make her way through whilst Erin was in her arms.

“Wait, how are we gonna do this?”, Abby questions.

Holtzmann looks around the space briefly, quickly calculating their options and any other available routes before settling on the only real option available. The engineer reaches up to grab her proton gun and lowers her safety glasses back down to her eyes, “I have an idea. You're gonna wanna step back, though.”

“Wait, wha-”

Before Abby and Patty had the chance to question what Holtzmann was thinking, the engineer directed her gun towards the metal beams. A quick finger on the trigger sent a steady stream of proton energy towards the obstruction with the sheer force of it blasting straight through the metal in an eruption of sparks and opening up the space for them to pass through.

The air had barely settled before Holtzmann was on the move again,

_“Come on! Let’s go!!”_

  
Abby and Patty are quick to follow Holtzmann’s lead towards the factory exit and with Erin once again muttering something incomprehensible before drifting out of consciousness, they raced for the Ecto-1 knowing that they truly were in a race against time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER? I'm terrible, I know. Originally the next chapter was going to be part of this one, but I felt that it wasn't flowing well so decided to split it into two instead.
> 
> As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and very encouraging! So let me know what you liked, didn't like... anything! :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo... it's been a while? I'm SO SORRY for leaving this fic on the back burner for over a year. A lot of stuff happened and I lost track of this story. I moved across the country for college too which I've been caught up in, but I'm aiming to work on this over summer.. but yeah, here's the last chapter I worked on and wrote most of last year. Hopefully it reads alright as I'm veeery rusty and hazy on some plot points...  
> Enjoy!

With the clock ticking, Patty volunteered to drive with Abby in the passenger side. The researcher promptly had 911 on the line and explained the situation, organising a team of first responders to be ready for their arrival at the hospital. 

Erin lay across the backseat, drifting through a haze of consciousness as Holtzmann held her head in her lap; the blonde could feel the physicists blood beginning to soak through her own overalls, causing a burning bile to rise in the back of her throat. 

As they pulled up to the hospital, Abby and Patty promptly emerged from the hearse, swinging open the back doors to allow the waiting first responders access to Erin. The physicist was quickly and carefully lifted from Holtzmann’s lap onto a stretcher and rushed through the corridors of the ER department. The three Ghostbusters followed immediately behind, with Abby interrogating the team of doctors for any information she could get out of them as Patty yelled words of reassurance in hopes that Erin would hear. Holtzmann found herself lost amongst the rush of bright lights and voices hastily throwing around medical terminology that she couldn't quite comprehend in the moment. As they approached a set of double doors, a doctor suddenly turns on his heels and brings a single hand up, stopping the three women dead in their tracks,

“We’ll take it from here.”

And with that, Erin is carted off and out of sight, leaving her teammates standing in a bare corridor.

 

* * *

 

It had been 3 hours since they arrived at the hospital. Shortly after Erin was taken in, a nurse noticed the gash on Holtzmann’s hand and took the engineer to have it treated. Now, Abby, Patty and Holtzmann sat in silence on the blue chairs that lined the waiting room, the team had long since given up demanding answers on Erin’s condition from the reception desk and any passing medical staff that they could get their hands on. 

Abby and Patty flicked idly through the pathetic and outdated pile of magazines that lay on a small table beside them in an attempt to pass the time. The sterile white walls of the hospital combined with the circumstances made Holtz feel uneasy. The blonde sat reluctantly on the edge of her seat beside the other two woman after spending the first two and a half hours pacing the corridors and finding anything she could do to divert her attention away from the bubbling anxiety that was making her want to run away. Now, exhausted of any available distractions, she sat restless, fiddling with her necklace and bouncing her leg repeatedly.

“Everything alright, Holtzy?”, Patty asked with a creased brow, the repetitive tapping of Holtzmann’s heel on the linoleum floor beginning to distract her from a particularly gripping article in the true-life magazine she found herself somewhat engrossed in.

“Huh?” The blonde briefly looked up from the ground to the researcher before looking back down to her injured hand, “Oh right, yeah. It’s fine, didn’t even notice it, really. Although I did get five stitches which is pretty neat.. The nurse said I can get them removed some time next week and that I was super brave. He even gave me a sticker, see?”

Holtzmann held out the lapel of her jumpsuit, where a small shiny sticker of a star was proudly placed. The older woman’s brows came together, mildly confounded by the engineer’s response, Patty then placed a comforting hand on Holtzmann’s shoulder before she spoke again, “Oh, no baby, I meant like are _you okay_. You seem a lil tense.” 

“Yeah, Yeah. Just don't like hospitals s’all. Give me the creeps.”, Holtzmann gave back, her gaze once again planted to the ground, avoiding any eye contact with Patty. The reply was partly true. Hospitals just reminded her of the past. The things she never wanted to remember. The white walls, the smell of disinfectant, the unignorable sense of loss and something more sinister. All of it made her skin crawl. On the other hand, she was wholly concerned for Erin. The anxiety pulled at her heart and as every second passed without word on the physicist’s condition, Holtzmann found her mind fearing the worst. She couldn’t lose another person she cared so much for, not again. Not ever.

“Give  _ you _ the creeps? Wow. I never knew that was possible.” Patty let out with a half hearted chuckle before noticing how the blonde’s gaze was still planted firmly to the ground, “..Listen, Erin’s gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, I know.”, the blonde's response was empty.

“She's a tough cookie, that girl. I mean if she can walk around in those little shoes with the heels all day, she can make it through a little bump to the head.”

Although she knew that the pain of walking in kitten heels all day in no way matched up to the severity of Erin’s injuries, Holtzmann couldn’t stop but snigger at the thought of the physicist’s ridiculous choice in footwear. Besides, she could tell that Patty was sincere in her efforts to comfort her and the engineer appreciated it more than she could outwardly express, so instead of attempting to do so, she muttered in agreement before rising to her feet and making her way over to the vending machine.

“She really cares about her, huh?” Patty asked openly once the blonde was out of earshot. Abby’s eyes briefly rose from the magazine in her hands to look up to Holtzmann who now had her nose pressed up against the glass of the vending machine,

“Yeah. Yeah she does.” 

As she forced another $5 bill into the vending machine, Holtzmann couldn't stop her mind from going into overdrive.

_ “How did this happen? If it was an entity that attacked Erin, the P.K.E. disturbance would have been picked up on by her wristband. Unless the sensor glitched or her pack failed, but I’d just worked on them all and if anything, added improvements. Unless I missed something, which is unlikely. Or assembled it wrong - also unlikely… But not impossible. Shit. Maybe I did mess something up. Or what if her proton gun backfired? Or--” _

“Erin Gilbert?”, the voice of a doctor emerging out from beyond the double doors and into the waiting room snapped Holtzmann back to the present.

Patty and Abby shot out of their seats with eyes wide in anticipation and hearts racing; Holtz crossed over the corridor to join them, abandoning the vending machine along with her fourth pack of M&M’s and $3 change.

“Yeah, that’s us! We’re with her. Is she alright??” Abby breathed out.

The doctor, a slender, older man with pale skin peered over the frames of his glasses at the three dishevelled Ghostbusters, a frown creasing his brow for a brief moment, “Alright… My name is Dr. Roberts, Miss Gilbert--

“Doctor.”, Holtz spat out instinctively before she even registered the sound coming out of her own mouth, Abby and Patty’s eyes shifted to the engineer.

“Yes..?”

Holtzmann scratched the back of her neck, finding herself suddenly somewhat embarrassed by her outburst. “Uh… Sorry, um, I mean, it’s  _ Dr. Gilbert. _ ”

“Oh, right.... Of course, my apologies. Well,  _ Dr. Gilbert _ has multiple minor lacerations, a small fracture in her rib and severe bruising around the spine. The injuries to her spine could have been a lot worse, however it seems that the equipment she was wearing took most of the impact. She has also received a severe blow to the head which caused quite a deep laceration on impact, leading to major blood loss. We’ve given her a transfusion which has brought her cell count back up to a stable level but won’t know the true extent of the head injury until she wakes up… We suspect Dr. Gilbert will be disorientated and her memories of the incident may be a little foggy. Again, this could have been a lot worse. If you hadn’t have gotten her here as soon as you did, the prognosis may not have been so favourable… Head injuries are often much worse on the eye than they really are, but we’re closely monitoring her condition and will continue to do so for the next 48 hours.”   


The three woman could feel the majority of the tension from the last few hours leaving their bodies. Granted, they didn’t yet know the extent of the physicists injuries, but to hear that she was relatively okay, with all things considered, was a relief.

After a short silence, Abby was the first to speak. “Is she awake? Can we see her?”

“She’s still under the effects of the anaesthetic, so she’s unconscious for now and will be for a few hours. She’ll need to rest until the worst of the concussion passes…But I suppose you can go in. Just make it brief.”

Abby practically dived into the room at the opportunity, with Patty having to restrain the researcher from taking out Dr. Roberts as she barged through. The sight she was met however, caught her breath like a punch to the stomach.

Erin lay before them almost lifeless, her fragile frame swallowed up by the hospital bed. The steady rise and fall of her chest alongside the beeping of the heart monitor being the only physical indication that she was alive. A thick bandage wrapped around her head and various bruises scattered her pale skin in a spectrum from blue, to a dark purple. Dried blood still lay under her fingernails and within the physicists auburn hair. 

“Oh, Erin.” Patty breathed out, stepping in beside Abby who was now crouched at Erin’s bedside. The researcher let her tears flow freely, with her best friend’s limp hand held firmly within her own. 

Holtzmann stood in silence only a few steps into the room. She couldn’t bring herself to come in further, to really see the damage that was done. A small frown creased her brow and that lump once again sat heavy in her throat as her tear filled eyes took in the sight before her. This could have been her fault. She could have let someone almost die once again due to her own negligence. Seeing Erin lying there, with Abby and Patty by her side was too much for her to take and before the other two woman could react, Holtzmann was running out of the room, as far away as her legs could take her.

Patty sighed, her previous concerns for the engineer now confirmed, "Shit. She really isn't okay."

Abby shook her head, "No, I don't think she is..."

"I'll go check on her--", Patty began.

"No, no, it's okay." Abby interjected, "I'll give her a minute and go see where she went.. I know Holtz has had some rough patches in the past, so I think it might be best to give her some space on this one. You stay here with Erin."

The taller woman nodded, taking a seat by Erin's side as Abby wiped her eyes and stood to her feet. The researcher looked down upon her friend again for a few moments, before clearing her throat to speak,

"I'll uh, text you when I find Holtz, we'll probably meet you out by the hearse if she hasn't gone too far." 

Patty gave Abby a sincere smile, and with that, Abby went out after the engineer.

 

* * *

 

Holtzmann made a b-line for the hospital exit. She just couldn't take being in there any longer. It was the smell, the white walls that seemed to close in on her after every minute and seeing Erin _just lying there_ made it all collapse inward and triggered something she hadn't felt for a long time - fear. Of course, ghostbusting came with its dangers which the ordinary person would find unsettling and something to fear, but to Holtzmann, the paranormal brought a sense of wonder and excitement; it was the consequences of humanity that scared her. The possibility of being abandoned by the ones she loved, or seeing them get hurt, or worse, is what fuelled the blonde's anxiety. She hadn't felt such _hopelessness_ since Abby and Erin went into the portal with Rowan and the prospect of losing them forever was very real.

As she burst out of the nearest exit, Holtzmann leaned across the railing beyond the hospital doors, gasping in the cold evening air. Catching her breath, the blonde raised a shaking hand up to remove her safety glasses so she could wipe her eyes. She didn't realise just how worked up she was until now, so the engineer focused on regulating her breathing from short gasps to long and steady inhalations in attempt to calm down - a trick that Dr. Gorin taught her long ago.

A gentle hand stroking her back brought Holtzmann back into the present,

"Hey, it's alright. Just keep breathing, buddy." The gentle and familiar voice from Abby, along with the rhythm of her hand moving up and down her back helped ease the blonde's anxiety furthermore. Looking up at her friend, the older woman could now see just how exhausted Holtzmann was. Without her signature yellow lenses covering her eyes, Abby now noticed Holtz's bloodshot eyes, and the dark circles that surrounded them. The engineer's overalls were still stained with Erin's blood and her injured hand was visibly shaking, along with the rest of her body.

"Oh, Holtzmann, come here." Abby pulled Holtzmann into a firm hug, which she resisted for a moment before giving in and burying her face into researcher's shoulder.

"What if this is my fault?", the blonde murmured.

"What?"

"What happened to Erin. What if it was my fault?"

It was then Abby pulled out of the hug, placing her hands on Holtzmann's shoulders,

"See now you're just being silly. How could it have been your fault?"

"The new wristbands, they were meant to track P.K.E. disturbances. She should have been alerted. Or what if her pack failed and that's why she couldn't defend herself? Or her p--"

The brunette cut off the engineer's ramble there, "Hey, hey, hey, stop it. I'm sure it must've been something she couldn't have prevented - that _none of us_ could have prevented."

"But you don't know that, Abby.", the engineer protested.

"And neither do you.", Abby gave back, a sigh escaping her lips, "...Is this about what happened at CERN...?"

Holtzmann took a step back out of Abby's grip, "W-what? No. Of course not."

"Holtz... I know you don't show it, but you don't need to beat yourself up about that. Just like they said, you could never have known that your prototype was going to--"

It was now the younger woman started to become uncharacteristically defensive, "Jesus, Abby, I don't!"

Abby raised her hands up, "Alright, alright. I'm just saying, some things are out of our control and just like the incident at CERN, this is one of them. You didn't do this to Erin, but something did... and it's up to us to find out what."

Holtzmann's shoulders slumped in defeat. Abby wasn't wrong, this was her anxiety causing her to think irrationally and, although she'd never admit it, she did still feel guilty about what happened at CERN. Besides, it definitely could have been averted if she ran more tests, but she was adamant to prove herself to her new superiors.. Maybe that's why the wristbands failed too, because she wanted to prove to Erin that she listened to her concerns about safety... Now look at what happened - it's ironic, really.

The blonde rubbed her eyes, "You're right, Abs. I'm sorry, I just.. I'm pretty tired, you know how I get."

"It's alright. Listen, why don't we go back to the Firehouse, clean up, get some rest and tomorrow, when Erin is awake, we can figure out what the hell happened and catch whatever did this.", Abby offered.

"Yeah, sounds good... Can we get food on the drive back? I'm starving."

"Dude, you ate like three bags of M&M's, how are you hungry? ... Wait, I'm not even going to question it, let's just go." 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, that was rough and emotional. Is Holtz too OOC in this? I wanted to touch on the CERN thing a lil more but I dunno if she'd freak out so hard? aaaaah  
> As always, feedback is much appreciated x


End file.
